After I discovered a new hobby online, cyberdecks…what are they? Cyberdecks are mini personalized computers that are usually designed by the user themselves as an on-the-go device that is designed similarly to your phone, but also your laptop. The concept of these devices originates from various cyberpunk media, such as novels or games.
People like me are drawn into the community out of sheer love for individualism and technology. Seeing other people creating their own mini portable devices with no prior computer building experience gave a lot of individuals a sense of curiosity and joy.
Almost every cyberdeck is different despite most of them being built from the same hardware; the major difference between every deck is the physical appearance. People start by building their Cyberdeck by picking out the perfect case; some people prefer an old Gameboy, a Polly pocket case, or even an old metal lunchbox.
The hardware used in most Cyberdecks are built from a single board computer, most likely a Raspberry Pi computer, then a screen and keyboard of some sort is necessary to use the computer. There are hundreds of guides on the internet to guide you through the building process.
Cyberdecks are becoming another consumerism trend on TikTok, surfacing to the average persons for you page around mid to late March of 2026. This consumeristic trend is encouraging people to learn to code alongside reducing, recycling, and reusing the things around them before purchasing any extra things they may want or need.
Enough about physical appearance, what are Cyberdecks truly used for? Well, it really depends on how a person wants to utilize this device, most people use them for note taking or writing when out and about, and others use it for music media collection and for new or old computer geeks to truly enjoy, upgrade and share their experiences with cyberdecks with one another.
TikTok user, Ubeboobey has created her mermaid cyberdeck from scratch; the appearance of the cyberdeck has drawn attention to over 997.9k viewers and has inspired many of them to create their own.
“I just really wanted a portable computer that I could make in my own aesthetic.” Ubeboobey establishes her motive on her own tiktok.
The main thing people urge each other to recycle are their old devices as AI is causing RAM and other computer related hardware to skyrocket in price
AI is super looked down upon in the community, and it fights to stay that way. Those who chose to use AI to develop their cyberdeck are usually told to cease using it as it defeats the purpose of being consumer and recycling friendly.
A con of this kind of trend is that it is still consumerism that could be a starter project that ends up unfinished in the back of someone’s desk, eventually forgotten and left to rot in a landfill somewhere if a person chooses not to resell parts online.
But the idea of cyberdecks is truly fun, interesting and could be a great addition to the right person’s life. It is different and exciting to see; people have their own reasons for indulging into this unique tech hobby.
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